Five Things That Never Happened to Ellen Ripley
by BonaFideHobbit
Summary: For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: 'It might have been.'" -- John Greenleaf Whittier. The chapters follow the Alien movies in chronological order--all AUs.
1. Chapter 1

1. Tousled brown curls fell over the young woman's eyes as she studied the document before her.

_Employment Contract_

_Weyland-Yutani Corporation_

Ripley wanted this job. She had trained for years to pilot spacecraft and was overjoyed to be offered this position. But now she frowned as she read the pages and pages of fine print. Company orders must be followed at any cost? Any transmission must be investigated or all shares would be forfeited?

Ripley chewed the tip of her pen and drummed her fingers on the table. One of the suits before her gave a laugh that did not disguise his irritation. "Miss, we don't have all day."

_This doesn't sound like a company; this sounds like a brainwashing camp,_ Ripley thought. _At this rate, they'll make me take some kind of loyalty oath!_ She smirked at the ridiculous idea. Then she turned the page. There in bold letters was a statement of loyalty to Weyland-Yutani Corporation, with a line ready for her signature.

Ripley threw back her head and laughed. Swiftly she stood and slung her purse over her shoulder.

"Thank you, gentlemen, but I'm sorry," she announced, "I have received a better offer!"

That evening she telephoned her boyfriend to accept his marriage proposal.


	2. Chapter 2

2. The soft crying could be heard down the hall. Barefoot, a figure enshrouded in a nightgown padded to the bedroom door. It was ajar, so she carefully pushed her way inside.

"Mommy, can I sleep with you?"

With a gasp Ripley lifted her tearstained face from the pillow. She sighed and wiped her eyes. "Amy, go back to bed. It was just a bad dream."

But the little girl climbed onto the bed and peered at her mother. "Mommy, it's been a month already since you got back," she said. "I think you'd better tell me what happened out there. Trying to guess is worse!"

At first Amy thought she might have said something wrong, because her mother's face grew even more haggard. Then Ripley squeezed the girl in a tight hug, kissed the top of her head, and rocked them both back and forth. "No, sweetie," she whispered. "No, it's not."

Ripley settled her daughter in bed next to her. "Go to sleep now," she soothed. She lay down and put her arms around the girl. With her lips brushing Amy's soft curls, Ripley began to sing.

"You are my lucky star..."


	3. Chapter 3

3. The lawyer's office was dark with wood paneling and rich with the smell of leather, but neither held Newt's interest. She pressed her face and hands against the window, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Ripley, come look!"

Ripley smiled when she saw what fascinated the girl. It was a small garden at the front of the corporate building. The flowers were vivid and expertly landscaped.

"What are those flowers called?" Newt asked.

"Those are geraniums," Ripley answered, "and those are petunias. Those are tulips, those are marigolds...miniature roses...irises..." Her voice trailed off.

The door opened, and Newt and Ripley stood up from the couch. The lawyer entered, a laid-back, middle-aged man with a briefcase, followed by a young woman. Her short blonde hair caught the sunlight, and her bright floral sundress swirled around her knees. She smiled at Newt, then looked questioningly at the lawyer.

"Go ahead," he whispered. Ripley gulped.

The woman knelt in front of Newt and looked kindly into her eyes. "Hello, Rebecca. I'm your Aunt Susan," she said.

"Newt," the girl corrected.

"What?" Susan frowned.

"My name's Newt."

"Um, all right...Newt," Susan conceded. "I'm your mother's sister. I'm your closest relative, you see? Your next of kin. I live in San Francisco. You'd like it there. It's bright and sunny, and safe. I have a daughter of my own. She would be your sister."

The color drained from Newt's face. She studied her new aunt, who seemed nice enough. Then she looked up at Ripley, who was trying to smile and failing miserably.

Susan's delicate face grew concerned. "Newt, don't you want to come live with us in San Francisco? You would have a family again, and we would all love you. Don't you want that?"

Newt sighed. Grownups always made things so complicated. She often felt sorry for them.

"Aunt Susan, I'm really sorry, but I want to stay with Ripley."

"What?!" Ripley cried, then clamped her hand over her mouth, too late to stop the joyous laughter that bubbled up.

"But..." Susan looked desperately at her lawyer.

The man puffed on a cigarette. "The law requires us to act in the best interests of the child...but we'll still have to take this to court."

"That's all right," Newt answered. She took Ripley's hand. "Aunt Susan, I'm sure your home is lovely. But Ripley's my mother now."

Ripley picked Newt up and hugged her tightly. When Ripley opened her eyes, she saw that Susan was studying her carefully. And she saw that Susan understood.

"You're the woman who saved my niece?" Susan asked.

Ripley nodded.

"Thank you," Susan said. "Newt...are you sure about this?"

Newt smiled over her shoulder. "I-ffirmative."


	4. Chapter 4

4. Ripley gazed up at Clemens with complete trust. She did not flinch while he injected the medicine into her arm. As the painkillers entered Ripley's body, Clemens felt a warmth flow through him as well, a sweet relief that she accepted him despite his past. A small smile appeared on the doctor's normally grim face.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a shadow on the far side of the infirmary stunned him into silence. A dark shape descended on the prisoner Golic. It smashed his head open, spewing gore everywhere. Then the black, skeletal beast advanced on Clemens. Fear paralyzed him, but Ripley thrust herself between her lover and the monster.

Clemens suddenly found his voice. "Ellen, no!"

"SHUT UP!" Ripley's scream rooted him in place.

The alien closed in on her. Clemens held her waist protectively as she sobbed in terror. The beast thrust its massive black head into her face, and Clemens watched, stupefied, as its jaw opened to reveal a second mouth. He was sure they would both die. But at the last second, the alien turned and fled.

***

"...Then I settled Newt into the cryotube, like I was tucking her into bed. I told her she wouldn't have any more bad dreams." Ripley wiped her eyes. "She didn't."

Clemens sat on the bed next to her with a long sigh. "You're right," he said at length. "No one will believe any of this until it's too late."

***

The fire had devoured everything in its path--except the alien. Many of the prisoners had perished in the burning corridors. Their charred bodies now lay in a gruesome pile, ready for a mass funeral.

The surviving prisoners were hysterical. They cursed, argued, and even blamed Ripley for the disaster because the alien had come when her ship crashed. Ripley alone was calm. Though her body appeared utterly vulnerable with its shaven head and thin shoulders, her eyes were hard, and her mouth curved slightly upward. Clemens could not tell if it was a smile of amusement or despair.

He still wondered why the creature had spared her when it pursued everyone else. He watched Ripley closely as she took charge of the group of frightened prisoners. No matter how much they maligned her, Ripley never reacted. Instead of panicking, she turned out new survival strategies faster than a computer. Clemens had to smile and shake his head.

Yet the doctor's instinct in Clemens sensed that something was wrong. As strong as her mind was, Ripley was suffering a slow physical decline. Half of her face was still bruised; the other half had a sickly pallor. She had complained to Clemens of headaches and nausea. Now, as he watched, she started coughing so hard that she had to lean against the wall.

Clemens hurried to her side. His raised eyebrows asked if she was all right. It was some time before she could answer.

"Jonathan, I need a...cat scan," she gasped out.

"Who cares what's wrong with her?" one prisoner shouted. "She brought that thing and it's still here somewhere. We have to do something!"

Clemens fixed him with a pointed, steady gaze. "Then do something yourselves, for a change."

Ignoring the prisoners' jeers, he picked Ripley up. He expected her to struggle and demand to be put down, but she did not. This alarmed Clemens more than anything.

He carried her back to the infirmary and set her gently in the x-ray pod.

Ripley furrowed her brow and swore in pain. "I'm turning inside out." Suddenly her eyes flew open.

Clemens dove for the start button. The small x-ray machine moved slowly over Ripley's body, casting a blue light on her. Clemens held his breath while he watched the images on the overhead screen. He relaxed as the machine progressed down Ripley's head and shoulders. Everything looked normal. Maybe her pain was just a result of all the stress.

Then he saw it, unmistakable on the x-ray: a miniature version of the alien, inextricably woven into Ripley's lungs.

Clemens stared at the image for a long time. Then he started a new cat scan, hoping that the result would somehow be different. Instead it revealed that the hideous thing had changed position inside Ripley. Shuddering, Clemens shut the machine off before she could see.

At the same time, Ripley cried out. Her eyes were wide. "Tell me you can help me," she whispered, hands pressed to her chest.

"I can," Clemens replied without thinking. "Of course I can." He fetched a syringe and began to fill it with morphine.

Then he stopped. He had already given Ripley a powerful dose of painkillers. He tried to steady his shaking hand to measure out just enough to help her now. He had to be careful not to give her too much.

Too much...

The alien on the x-ray image flashed before his mind's eye. What had Ripley called these creatures? Chestbursters. That horrible thing would tear its way out of her ribcage. Gore would spatter everywhere, just like Golic's death.

_No! Not her._ Clemens had not known Ripley for long, but he knew her body. Now it was sacred to him.

He filled the syringe. Ripley did not flinch when its needle pierced her arm. Her eyes were closed. One hand still lay over her chest, but she was quiet now. She almost looked peaceful.

Clemens watched the liquid slowly leave the syringe. The lethal dose of morphine entered Ripley's bloodstream.

When he withdrew the syringe, Clemens felt the chill of loss. He wanted her. He wanted to keep her with him. How could he have done this? He took her tenderly in his arms and kissed her. When he drew back, her eyes were open.

Ripley gazed up at Clemens with complete trust.


	5. Chapter 5

5. Annalee Call smiled at her friend Vriess as she strapped him into the new wheelchair. She was proud of her work. Her chair was not as fancy as the one they had had to leave behind during their escape, but it was enough to move the small man around. They were taking it for a test drive around the perimeter of the _Betty'_s camp when a strange shape appeared out of the nearby woods. The figure was top-heavy and as wide as it was tall. Call gasped and fumbled for her gun, but then she saw that it was just Ripley carrying a large animal over her shoulders. It was four-legged, with dainty hooves, a soft brown coat, and strange hard things protruding from its head. The beautiful creature's stout neck was twisted; it was quite dead. Call felt sorry for it.

"Ripley, what _is _that?" the little auton asked as Ripley dumped the animal onto the ground.

Ripley pulled her sleeve down over the number 8 tattooed onto her arm. "It's a deer," she answered. "It's dinner. If you haven't noticed, we're running low on food."

Johner swaggered up to Ripley, examined her catch, and swore in admiration. "Venison! Man, I've pretty much forgotten how that tastes!"

"Me, too," Ripley quipped.

"How'd you get it?"

She smirked. "I outrun a nest full of aliens and this spaceship and you ask me how I got a _deer_?"

Johner grinned. "I guess you're not a woman with whom to f***."

"Nope."

Johner sauntered closer to her. "We got something in common, then."

Call rolled her eyes, but Ripley smiled coyly. "Maybe we do," she flirted.

Johner and Ripley continued to trade jokes until Ripley actually allowed him to put his arm around her shoulders. Call shared a disbelieving look with Vriess as Johner and Ripley disappeared into the woods.

"Uh...well!" Vriess stammered.

Call just shook her head. From the distance she heard something she'd never heard before: Ripley's laughter.

***

Ripley returned to find Call scowling at her.

"What?"

"Why did you do that?" Call demanded.

"Why not?"

"Because he's disgusting!"

Ripley shrugged, grabbed a wrench, and engrossed herself in the _Betty_'s repairs.

***

Over the next few weeks, Ripley kept the four survivors supplied with food. Not that Call needed food, but she discovered she liked the gamey tastes of venison, bear and the other strange creatures Ripley brought back to camp.

Johner and Vriess began to take it for granted that Ripley would keep food on the table, so they were as surprised as Call when Ripley stopped.

Johner grabbed her shoulders, lifted her from the chair where she sat staring at her hands, and shook her. "I'm hungry! Where do you get the right to slack off? We all do our part around here and you're going to do yours!"

"Hey! Hey!" Call cried.

Ripley extricated herself from Johner's grip and retreated listlessly into her chair. "Go shoot something yourself. I'm tired."

"You're _what_?"

"Tired! I'm tired! Leave me alone."

***

It was raining. Everyone was tired of being cooped up in the _Betty_. Johner and Vriess were playing cards in the control room, while Call amused herself in the tiny dining compartment. She was trying to find the center of gravity in her wrench so it would stand upright on the table. It was impossible. She sighed.

The door opened behind her, and she turned around. Ripley stood there, all trace of her usual hauteur gone. Her frame was rigid, her eyes fearful. She looked straight at Call with a silent plea.

Call jumped to her feet. "What's wrong?"

Ripley looked around, then took Call's hands, led her back to the table, and sat facing her. "Call," she whispered urgently, "do you remember...do you remember...the...my..."

Call's eyes widened when she realized that Ripley was bringing up the unmentionable subject: her hybrid grandchild. Of course Call remembered the grotesque offspring of the queen alien taken from Ripley's chest. Ripley had killed it to save Call's artificial life.

"Yes," Call said slowly, "I remember."

Ripley drew a shaky breath. "Do you think..."

"What?"

"Do you think that...that if..." Ripley's voice choked.

"Hey, Ripley!" Johner appeared in the doorway, startling both women.

Ripley sprang up, sent him flying across the room, and automatically assumed a combative stance. Then she unclenched her fists and stared at Johner with a bewildered expression.

"What's gotten into you?" Johner bellowed.

Ripley turned on her heel and closed the door behind her.

"Don't look at me, Johner," Call said. "I have no idea."

***

The day came when Ripley disappeared into the woods and did not return.

"She's probably camped out there for the night," Johner said.

"What if she's in trouble?" Vriess raised his eyebrows.

"She's fine," Johner insisted. "She'll probably be back tomorrow."

She wasn't.

"I'm going out to look for Ripley, and you're coming with me," Call told Johner.

"And I should do this why?"

"Because I might need you to carry her back here."

Johner grumbled, but went with Call anyway. They left Vriess with enough food and water to last a few days.

Call searched the woods until Johner complained about sore legs. Call was tired, too, and she felt like her vocal mechanism would wear out from calling Ripley's name. The two sat down and had dinner. After dark Johner went to sleep, but Call went back out with her flashlight.

At dawn she shook him awake. "Johner! I found her!"

"Huh? Wha?"

"I found Ripley!"

Johner sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Alive?"

"I think so. Come on!"

She led him to a small clearing. Ripley lay in the fetal position under an oak, her lower half hidden by a thicket of bushes. The grass around her was burned away, the ground stained dark. Her eyes were closed, but her ribcage rose and fell with her breathing. She clutched something protectively to her chest. Her hands were covered with dried blood.

Call took a bottle of water from her pack and knelt beside her. "Ripley, it's me. It's Call." Ripley did not stir.

Johner found his voice. "What the h*ll!"

Call shone her flashlight onto Ripley's torso. She could barely make out what Ripley was holding. But then she thought she saw hair. Dark hair. On a tiny head. Ripley's arms covered the rest of the body.

"It's a baby," Call whispered.

"What?!"

Call peered into the little face. "It's tiny." Then she frowned. "It has marks on its skin. Burns. It's...it's not breathing." She looked up with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Johner."

"What do you mean?"

Call stood up, livid. "Don't you know it's yours?"

"What?!"

"Who else could be the father?"

Johner gulped. "Look...I don't know what Ripley does in her spare time."

Call slapped him. He was too shocked to fight back.

She hurried back to Ripley and tried to pry the dead baby from its mother's arms.

"NO!" Ripley screamed, curling into a tight ball around her child.

Call jumped, then smoothed Ripley's hair. "It's gone, Ripley. I'm so sorry." No response. "Johner, help me. We have to take her back." Call turned around. Johner was gone.

***

In silence Ripley drank the water Call gave her. In silence she ate the meat with bloody hands. Then she lay motionless, her eyes empty.

"Boy or girl?" Call asked.

"Girl," Ripley answered in a dull monotone.

"How did she die?"

"My blood." With an effort Ripley moved her eyes to Call. They were so agonized that for a moment Call wished she had gone through with killing her.

"She was human," Ripley explained. "Completely."

"Oh," was all Call could say.

***

Call buried the tiny girl on the same spot where she had been born. Ripley watched, silent tears streaming down her face. The small auton silently cursed her creators for programming emotions into her. It wasn't right, what had happened to Ripley. It wasn't right that she had been brought back in the first place. It wasn't right that she had the madness of alien blood in her. It wasn't right that she should have to kill her seven deformed sisters and her even more deformed grandchild. It wasn't right that she should have another child, only to lose it. Before she knew it, Call was sobbing.

Then arms were around her and a gentle hand was stroking her hair. "I'm sorry," Call wept into Ripley's shoulder. "I should be comforting you."

"Shh," Ripley soothed. "It's all right. Don't cry, Newt."

Call stopped crying and looked up. "Who's Newt?"

Ripley blinked, then tilted her head in thought. "I think she was my daughter. Another daughter I lost."

Call frowned. "But why did you call _me_ Newt?"

Slowly, Ripley touched Call's face and caressed the girl's cheek with her thumb.

Call threw her arms around Ripley's neck.


End file.
